West Branch Capital LLC Acquires 756 Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 10.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,669 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 756 shares during the quarter. Mastercard accounts for about 1.4% of West Branch Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. West Branch Capital LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $4,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mastercard by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 493 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,182,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 736 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company's stock.

Mastercard Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE MA traded up $0.89 on Tuesday, reaching $569.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,246,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,617,611. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $428.86 and a 52 week high of $594.71. The stock's 50 day moving average is $558.05 and its 200-day moving average is $544.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market cap of $519.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.94, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.05.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. Mastercard's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.31 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $633.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $640.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, March 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $610.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michael Miebach sold 15,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.16, for a total value of $8,678,774.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 84,871 shares in the company, valued at $46,692,629.36. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Linda Pistecchia Kirkpatrick sold 959 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.86, for a total transaction of $549,372.74. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,630,844.40. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 47,645 shares of company stock worth $26,979,801. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Mastercard

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.